Page 17 of Nate

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The ride out to the shooting range was uneventful. Nate had the radio going at a low volume and they kept their conversation impersonal; how Kevin felt about his workout, Nate’s plans to expand his gyms outside of Houston. It was nice and Kevin felt himself really relaxing, growing even more comfortable with the other man than he already was.

Unfortunately, when they pulled up to the range, there was a big group waiting for them. Nate parked and Kevin followed him out of the car and over to his friends. He had to force himself to keep his head up and what he hoped was a friendly expression on his face. He didn’t do too well in situations like these. He didn’t know these people and they probably wouldn’t like-.

Nate’s hand landed on his shoulder, distracting him from the anxiety laced spiral his thoughts were headed down. He introduced Kevin as his friend from the gym. He joked that they’d better all remember his name, but not to expect Kevin to remember so many names at once. There were no awkward questions, although he did see a surly looking dark haired guy give Nate a smug, raised eyebrow look.

Once they were set up on the range, their rotation established, Kevin noticed that Gage, the dark haired guy, couldn’t keep his hands off his curly haired boyfriend, Joseph. When the two of them weren’t shooting, Gage brushed kisses over Joseph’s neck, or had a hand in his hair, or a casual arm around his waist. Joseph stood there, calmly accepting Gage’s kisses and embraces, while carrying on conversations with everyone in the group like it was no big deal.

Kevin envied him. He’d never been that at ease with anyone and couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be so relaxed with a guy he was seeing. He looked over at Nate to see the big blond watching him. He cleared his throat, hoping he hadn’t looked creepy while watching the couple.

“Is it my turn?”

Nate nodded. “Yep.”

Kevin stepped up and raised his shotgun. He steadied himself before calling out, “Pull!” He got the first two pigeons with one shot. But he had to fire twice to bring down the last disc. Pulling off his shooting glasses, he moved back for the next shooter. He found himself standing next to Joseph. The man gave him a friendly smile.

“You’re pretty good.”

“Thanks.” Kevin wanted to kick himself. The man was trying to start a conversation and all he gave him was a one word answer. But Joseph continued talking to him.

“This is the first time I’ve ever done any shooting. I think it’s pretty obvious I do much better on the race track.”

“Race track?”

Gage leaned in. “Yeah, don’t let that preppy little sweater fool ya. Joseph is a speed demon on the back of his motorcycle.”

“You race bikes? That’s pretty cool.” He laughed. “I’m more known for staying within the speed limit.”

Joseph laughed with him. “Do you have a motorcycle?”

“No. I have a Yamaha Vino.” His face heated as he waited for Joseph and Gage, a motorcycle racer and bike mechanic respectively, to laugh at him for riding a scooter. But neither of them did.

“Those are nice. I love the vintage look and they’re not as pricey as the Vespa. My brother wants a scooter and I was thinking about getting him one for graduation next year. Maybe you could help me figure out which would be the best to get.”

“Sure man, no problem.”

“And if you ever need your scooter worked on, bring it in to my shop. I’ll hook you up with a family discount, since you’re such good friends with Nate here,” Gage said with a sly look at his friend.

Kevin was surprised at the friendliness of the couple. He was even more surprised at how comfortable he felt with them both as he thanked Gage for his offer. As they went through each of the stations, Kevin felt himself loosening up and enjoying the afternoon with Nate and his friends. Nate got his attention with a hand on the small of his back.

“Having fun?”

“Yeah.”

“You sound surprised. Did you think my friends would be jerks?”

Kevin laughed. “No. It’s just, I normally clam up when I’m in a group. But these guys are easy to talk to.”

“Well having the second highest score is helping. Everybody is asking you for shooting advice. So, what’s your secret?”

“Beginner’s luck?” Kevin asked with a shrug.

Nate gave him a look chock full of skepticism. “Somehow I doubt that.” He stepped out of the way. “It’s your turn again, Annie Oakley. Let’s see what you got.”

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Several hours later, Nate pulled up next to Kevin’s scooter where he had it locked onto the bike rack of the gym’s parking lot. He put the SUV in park and turned to look at Kevin. They’d stayed at the range for a good while, then gone to eat at another of their friend’s bar. It had turned into a long, but fun day and he thanked Nate for inviting him along.

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